


The Pagemaster

by thebeastinsideusall



Series: Bucky Barnes Fics [4]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Bucky needs to be happy, Cute, F/M, Fluffy, It'll rot your teeth, Logan has a daughter?!, Slight xmen universe, Sweetness, cute bucky, omg
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-13
Updated: 2017-12-30
Packaged: 2018-07-23 20:23:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 12,619
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7478655
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thebeastinsideusall/pseuds/thebeastinsideusall
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bucky liked the quiet. He liked the solace of a silent place where the shining sun could warm him to the bones and force back the never ending cold in his soul from his near hundred years of existing.</p><p>He wanted seclusion. To be in a warm inviting place and just left with his thoughts as he tries in vain to write down every detail of his hydra imprisonment. And that's hard to do with a team of boisterous avengers unexpectedly coming into the lounge or garden just moments as he settles into his silence.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Library

**Author's Note:**

> So like i don't have at least fifteen stories here and on fanfic net. Let's add another one to the growing pile shall we?! Okay!!!
> 
> (Someone help I can't stop the overflow of plot bunnies... I'm scared)

The pagemaster 1

Bucky liked the quiet. He liked the solace of a silent place where the shining sun could warm him to the bones and force back the never ending cold in his soul from his near hundred years of existing. 

He liked the tower. With its expansive gyms and kitchens. Indoor running track and pool. Spacious gardens and open rooms. But he could never seem to find the solace he needed some days. 

Thor with his booming voice. Clint and Tony with their explosions and pranks. Wanda and Pietro with their sibling bickering in Sokovian. It was always so loud with everyone but Bruce and Natasha. But even Nat would raise her voice if the situation called upon it. 

He wanted seclusion. To be in a warm inviting place and just left with his thoughts as he tries in vain to write down every detail of his hydra imprisonment. And that's hard to do with a team of boisterous avengers unexpectedly coming into the lounge or garden just moments as he settles into his silence. 

So he searches the city for a few days. Not too far from the tower, just a block or two. Tries to find a spot or roof where he'd be left alone. But asking for silence in the middle of New York City was like asking a crying baby to be still and expecting it to listen. Impossible. 

Until it's not anymore. His feet have taken him to a small library just three blocks from the tower. A small but still somewhat large red brick building staking its claim beneath the towering skyscrapers and business buildings. Refusing to back down and relocate or change for the sake of image. 

He doesn't know why he stopped here, but he's going to give it a try because he's here and he can't think of another place to try. Backpack shouldered onto his left side he trots up the set of old once white marble steps and pushes the door open. 

The low lighting and strong scent of old books hits him like a tidal wave of history from the mass amounts of paper and ink and leather. The door chimes softly with his entry and the sound comes from the small circle like desk a few yards from him. And he's not sure what to think of the sight in front of him.

The desk must sit lower on the inside because all he can see is some sort of animal hat in dark black fake fur and pointed ears from the lip of the counter. It moves toward him from the chime and the wearer stands up from their seat. 

She's a slip of a girl. Can't be more than seventeen at the most from her young face and bright green eyes. Her hair is dark and black and falls in silky waving tresses to her collarbones. Blending into the animal hat like its part of her. It's oddly cute.

"Hello, welcome to Lilian's Library. How can I help you, sir?" Her voice is soft, just enough to catch his attention but not loud to disturb the others as they read, type or write. 

"Uh yeah I'm just.. Looking for a quite place to work." He's unsure of how to speak to complete strangers, he's still not used to talking much and it's been a couple years already.

She smiles and stands up higher, her eyes brighter for a moment. "Are you hoping to use a computer or just a place to be by yourself for a bit?"

"I don't need a computer. I have my own."

"Quiet place it is. Follow me sweetie." She's kind and her voice is still soft as she climbs the steps and joins him in the main floor. She's taller then he thought, standing to his shoulder with her chin. 

He follows her as she makes her way through the library. She's dressed in skinny jeans a dark wash black color, holes in the knees patched up with a black bandana on the inside it looks like. A boat necked sweater in grey and baby blue zigzag stripes. It's a couple sizes too big and hangs slightly off one shoulder and down to just the tips of her fingers. Her whole outfit is completed by a pair of converse that , he assumed, used to be a blue color but were washed out and scuffed so badly he couldn't tell. She was cute. But he'd seen a hundred cute girls walking around the tower, Tony sure had a quota for working at stark tower that's for sure. 

As they walk he looks around curiously. There's a few groups of college students working on projects near the front. There's a couple people using the computers at the small cubicles. Every few tables there's someone surrounded by books or texts and is writing notes diligently. It's quiet save for the soft murmuring of the polite college kids and the turning of aged pages. 

He already likes this place. 

She led him up the set of stairs and up to the second floor. Around the corner to a secluded spot on the balcony. There was a table and chair along with a plug in for a laptop. A colorful beanbag tucked neatly into the corner that has seen better days but still looked comfy and fun. It was straight under the painted glass windows and the color was played with in the light of the early afternoon sun. It was warm up here with all this natural light. 

"Will this work? It's my favorite spot." She smiles kindly and he's feeling the twitch of his lips quirk up into a half grin. 

"It's perfect, doll." He blanches at the way he so easily called her that old class nickname and she blushes the sweetest shade of pink he's ever seen. She plays it off and smiles a bit brighter as if the sun wasn't lighting up the world enough she had to add to it. 

"A man with old class. I like it." She gives a playful kind wink to ease his tense shoulders and it works a bit. "I'll be at the desk if you need anything. And when you're finished we can get you a library card if you'd like." With that she left him alone and was downstairs in the blink of an eye. 

He pulls out the laptop Steve got him, his fingers flying over the keypad gently and he loses himself in his writing . It's quiet here, with no distractions besides the soft chime of someone coming or going. The gentle thuds of books being laid down and the soft murmur or arguing college students about their final project. Its warm and sunny and he can feel the sun on his face all day long. The smell of paper and ink surrounds him and he feels at peace. He likes it here.


	2. The Scary Dragon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What... Is that a plot I smell? Maybe who knows!

The Pagemaster 2

He comes in every other day since the day he found the small library two months ago. He loves it here. It's quiet and calm, there's never a ruckus or loud voices, unless it's Saturday. Saturday is children's book reading and he skips that day because shiny deadly arm plus children equals nervous a very James Barnes. Not safe. But he still comes as if on clockwork. 

He'll walk in. The soft chime will toll and alert the librarian behind the desk. And every day he's come in he finds that she really likes crazy animal hats. Usually it's the panther one, black with pink insides of the ear and shiny in the warm sunlight. Other times it's a wolf one, grey and white with far pointier ears atop her head. But every now and then it's a strange one. A panda on Monday, a dinosaur on Wednesday, a tiger on Friday. He's knows it's her behind the counter when he walks in just by the sight of those hats. 

Her name's Hayley Howlette. She's twenty one years old. He knows the scuffed up Savage motorcycle parked outside is hers and that she works here full time. He doesn't dig for information about her. Once upon a time he would have questioned everything down to her choice in toothpaste. But she's so easy going, kind and soft spoken that he knows deeps down there's nothing bad about this girl. He doesn't trust her, doesn't trust anyone but Steve really. But she's a calming agent to his raging inner demons and he needs that. 

She's always at the desk, hat in place, when he comes in the early afternoon. Greets him politely and gives him the thumbs up that his usual space is empty. While he's lost in his thoughts or work she helps younger and older people find the right sections for books. Or she's shelving returned books throughout the floor to ceiling shelves of the library. Every now and then he can just make out a soft hum of a tune from her a few rows down from his space. And it soothes the headache rampaging in him for a moment or two until she moves back out of range. 

Today's Saturday, and as much as he doesn't want to go to the library on children's day. He really really doesn't want to be in the tower. Stark is having some sort of fundraiser or party or something and it's too much for him to deal with right now. So he trudges inside and it's not as chaotic as he'd expected. 

The main tables have been moved and stacked along the walls so there's a bunch of free space in the open room. Parents seated in folding chairs toward the front door and watching the children. Mats of different shapes and sizes of animals are scattered over the floor in a semi circle and children are seated quietly on them. Some by themselves and others are piled one on top of the other. Their rapt attention focused on the reader before them. 

"And the dragon came out of its cave. A massive head covered in black and red scales. Sharp teeth ready to... SNAP!!" The children giggle as Hayley makes claws with her fingers and snaps them together at the children closest to her. Smiling brightly she picks the book back up. "The dragon looks around. Left and right." She looks as if she's searching for something. "And then it sees the brave knight! And oh no... he's hungry!!"

"Oh no!"

"Don't let the dragon eat the knight!!"

"Cool!!"

"Shhh I can't hear!"

The kids scramble back into place as Hayley waits patiently for their attention again. "The dragon spreads its mighty wings, gives a push off the cliff and takes flight! The knight pulls his sword ready to kill the vicious dragon!" 

He watches from the back wall. His attention every bit caught as the children in front of Hayley and even a few of the parents as she reads the story to them all. An hour later and many gasps, cries and shouts of victory. The dragon is defeated and the knight saves the princess in the tower. The kids each say goodbye to Hayley and wave at her as they're taken back into the city with their parents. He hangs back and blends into the shadows on instinct at the flush of the crowd before the library is empty once more.

Hayley is softly humming to herself as she picks up the colorful animal mats the kids were sitting on, stacking them neatly into a rolling plastic bin. She's free of her hat for once and Bucky gets a better look at her silken waves of ebony. Her hair is so dark, and it's got this gleam to it as if it's covered in tiny diamonds that make it shine in any sort of light. It frames her face just perfectly with her layered bangs that swoop to the side, half covering an eye and she's constantly huffing and blowing her bangs out of her face. 

"Need some help?" His voice startles her apparently because she eeps like she's seen a mouse and stumbles back to fall right on her rump to stare wide eyed up at him. 

"Oh my God, you scared me!" She places a hand on her chest over her beating heart and she smiles despite it. He offers her his right hand and she easily slips her smaller one into it without a thought. 

"Sorry, I'm sneaky." He smiles a bit at her and she just grins wider as she hands him a lion shaped mat. 

"Just for that, you can pick all these up and help me unstack the tables. They're heavy." Teasingly she speaks and points to the rest of the mats.

"Ma'am yes ma'am." Bucky finds himself giving a mock salute and getting a giggle out of Hayley. He picks up the mats while she turns and picks up some wrappers that got left behind from the kids snacks. 

After they're done, tables out back in place, chairs unstacked and floors clean. They're sitting on the floor in the main reading area, Hayley on a beanbag chair and looking right at home and Bucky lounging on the only armchair. 

"Thanks for the help sweetie. That would have taken me an hour by myself." She flicks her bangs from her face and smiles up at him. 

"No problem Miss. Howlette."

She makes a face at that. "Please don't call me that, it's sounds so.. Proper! Yuck." She shakes as if she's weirded out by her own name and Bucky chuckles softly under his breath. "Just call me Hayley...." She raises an eyebrow at him and Bucky realized he's never given her his name. 

He's kept to himself mostly. Never really talked beyond a polite hello and maybe her checking up on him from time to time up in the balcony. But he hasn't shared anything. If he's honest with himself, he's scared of telling her. Who would want the notorious ex hydra assassin around them? That's probably why he hasn't.. But she's asking now and he heaved a heavy sigh. 

"James Barnes, Ma'am. My name is James Barnes." He watches from the corner of his eye as she tenses up and the smile fades from her lips. Her left hand clutches at her right bicep with a death grip enough to maybe rip the grey sleeve of her sweater. He knew it. Nothing ever good lasts with him and he stands, not wanting to face her and the disgust and fear he knows is on her face. 

"Sorry Hayley... I won't come back..." And he's gone before he can hear her move and he's down the street and vanished before the chime even stops ringing from the door opening.


	3. Introductions are in order

The Pagemaster 3

Hayley paced back and forth in the familiar foyer of the Xavier mansion. Her thoughts were nothing but a chaotic jumble and the residing telepaths were getting a slight headaches from the projecting girl. No one could read her mind but she could project her emotions like a weapon to the mind. And lately she's having trouble keeping it in check since she's an empath as well. Being around James Barnes has her gifts on the fritz.

Her feet changed course and she grumbled low under her breath, her left hand rubbing absentmindedly at her right bicep, the leather riding jacket she wore keeping her from skin. Her black full faced helmet setting on a table by the front doors. The teachers that had been at the school for more than a few years knew that pacing gate and glaring eyes with dark wild hair. There's only two people who looked and acted like that. They simply clear a path and let her be until the professor finally calls out to her and she's up the steps to his office in record time. 

"Hello Hayley, it's been awhile.."

"I'm sorry Mr. X I hate to be rude. But we can catch up later. I need to find him, yesterday." Her voice is higher pitched than he's used to hearing and he can't push through her mental barriers to find out what's wrong but the pure anxiety pouring from her mind is enough to get the professor to act. 

"Logan has been gone for some time now but he's due back any day I believe. What's wrong child?" 

"I think... I think I ran into someone that should be dead... And I... I don't know how to cope and my powers are projecting and Professor I'm scared I'm gonna have a breakdown again..." Her arms are wrapping around her torso tightly and she's curling into herself in the chair across from him. She needs Logan. "I need him professor..."

"Shhh, I'll call him as soon as possible alright Hayley? But first you have to calm your mind or you'll hurt someone." He presses a button and his chair moves to sit beside her and he gently pries her hands from herself. "Now take deep breaths with me, that's right Hayley. Calm your mind."

Slowly the projecting fear and anxiety is recoiling back into her own mind, her heartbeat steadily slowing back to a soft beating. "There now. Better?" 

"Better.." She whispers and gives him a soft smile of thanks. 

"Now care to tell me what's going on? With more details so I'll know what to tell Logan?" With a nod she starts back on her tale. 

She told him everything. 

The stories her father would tell her of a pair of heroes he worked with in the forties. How brave and true they were and the fateful fall of both men in the ocean and train, both lost to war. How she's been so kind to this random guy who started to come into the library. His emotions broadcasting so loudly she could hear him out on the street over any sound of siren or blaring horns. 

She wanted to help. Smooth the pounding noise in his mind as much as she could without actually using her gifts on him. Because she could sense how torn up he was inside, and didn't want to put anymore probing in his head. How his rage and disgust at himself after he said his own name made her heart stutter and hurt from the onslaught of emotions coming from him. 

She knows who he is. Not the media version that made him out a brainwashed killer but the man her father faught beside for a war that took his life. She didn't connect the dots, her dad was gonna smack her upside the head for being so naive about this. 

"I'll call him, Hayley. In the meantime why don't you head downstairs. I think Storm has made some cookies and Kitty is talking Jubilee's ear off." With a chuckle he watched as her face lit up and she jumped up to the door before turning slightly and looking at him. 

He's struck by how much she looks like her flesh and blood sire. The dark wild tresses. The bright wide eyes that catch so much and hide the intelligence hidden beneath the facade. But she's so different as well. Outwardly kind to a fault and always a smile on her face. She's Logan's shining star if only he would stick around more often he'd see it. The poor girl needs her father around. 

"Thanks Mr. X." She turns and dashes down the hall past a bewildered Scott Summers who raised an eyebrow at the sight of the dark haired girl he hasn't seen in a couple years. 

"Everything okay professor?"

"Yes Scott, fine. I just need to make a call."

\----

The roar of bikes erupted outside the tower as two pulled up to the curb. Instantly someone was outside, asking their business at stark industries. A gruff voice demanding that he needs to see the Captain as soon as possible, alone. And then, if one scratch appears on that bike he'll lose his head. The boy kid nearly fainted at the look from the larger make. 

Logan placing his large palm at the small of Hayley's back as they're led into the tower and toward the elevator to the avengers floors. Hayley growing more and more tense with nervousness. She was biting her nails and her hair was missed from the helmet he made her wear. Healing factor she inherited but on a drastically smaller scale. He couldn't lose her.

Logan pulled her in for a quick but rare hug and ruffled her hair. Making her gasp and stick out her tongue childishly and Logan's heart swelled at the sound. His only living flesh and blood making his long life worth while for a bit.

\---

"Mister Rogers? I hate to interrupt but there is someone here to see you and says its fairly urgent..." The AI's voice sounded above Steve and Bucky's head as they sparred in the gym. Steve's blonde head looked up slightly to the ceiling and his brow furrowed. 

"Who is it Friday?"

"I was not given a name and I can't seem to find a facial recognition anywhere of him sir. But the young lady with him is Hayley Howlette." Steve saw Bucky tense and his shoulders droop, must be the reason Bucky's been so much more distant lately. 

The name didn't ring a bell with Steve but it did with Bucky somehow. "We'll be right up Friday."

"I've directed them to the private lounge on the next floor up."

With that Steve and Bucky made their way up the elevator and toward the open lounge at the other end of the floor. It didn't seem too much of an emergency so they casually walked to the end of the hall and stared wide eyed at the scene before them. A face they hadn't seen in seventy years raising an eyebrow at their shocked faces. 

"Logan?" Steve whispered and Logan have a gruff nod, thick arms crossed over his burly chest. His own eyes taking in the sight of two men who hadn't aged a day since he last saw them. A strange feeling, since he hadn't either. 

"Captain. Sargent." Logan's amber colored eyes turning to look at the blue eyed man whose face was contorted as if he was in pain. 

"How is this possible?" Steve asks and steps further into the room, getting a better look at the man who had saved his hind end a hundred times over in the couple short years he had known him. 

"You know exactly how." Logan's right hand had released his left elbow and the snick of the nine inch adamantium claws flashed out of his knuckles like butter and a hot knife. It will always catch their attention, every time it happens. 

"Healing factor. About fifteen times faster then that serum gave you Cap." Logan gave a grimace that was meant to be a smile and the claws vanished back into his forearm, cuts healing in a half second. 

"What I want to know.." Logan starts off, pointing a finger at Bucky. "Is how in the hell you are alive right now?" 

The emotions running through the room are buffed up on serum and feral instincts and Hayley shrinks back more and more. It's given her a mass of emotions and she's having trouble keeping herself calm. She goes unnoticed until her foot catches on the edge of a lounge chair. Effectively making her stumble back to sit awkwardly on the offending chair as all eyes flash toward her. 

Icy blue of Steve Rogers like the color of the sky in a sunny day. Stormy grey of Bucky Barnes like the way the sea crashes and waves before a storm. And her fathers shade of feral Amber and gold, all staring at her as if they're just now noticing her. 

"Uhhh... Hi?"


	4. The Awkwardness is strong with this one

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Plot? No plot? Plot? Eh maybe.

The Pagemaster 4

 

The group of men looked down at the now blushing dark haired girl and she seemed to shrink more under their gaze until Logan cleared his throat and brought the attention back to him and away from Hayley. She wasn't like him, able to take long stares from people. Too kind hearted and shy to a fault, the poor thing. Somehow he managed to give life to a kid that was absolutely nothing like him and didn't have the feral dna that made him as violent and crass as he was. Hank was still trying to figure that one out. 

She looked like him though. Wild waves of ebony shone in the sunlight. Bright eyes that took in so many details. Her form tall and lithe if not a bit on the skinny side with less muscle, but she wasn't an athlete. She had that child's heart that most adults wish they could have back. She was bright and soft spoken where he stuck to the shadows and kept to himself. 

"I'm waitin Barnes." Bucky heaved a soft sigh and his shoulders drooped. Reaching up with his right hand, he pulls the long sleeve workout shirt up to his elbow on his left arm. The gleam of metal raising an eyebrow on the feral mutant. Hayley's eyes widened to saucers, she'd never seen the arm, not once. 

"Hydra happened. Seventy years of Hydra." Logan nodded sagely, he now knew what the media had spoken about in the news. He was never much for following news reports or reading the paper. He honestly hadn't known what to think since he's been up in Canada for nearly two years now. He really needed to get out more. Hayley simply rubbed at her forehead as a tidal wave of hatred and rage and guilt came at her and she sucked in a breath, making everyone turn to her again. 

"Easy darlin, deep breath." Logan whispered to her and she nodded, doing as he says and calming her mind. Putting up the walls the Professor has taught her. Calm enough, she sheepishly brushes the bangs from her face and gives Logan a small smile. 

"I'm confused, what are you doing here then?" Steve asked as he looked from Hayley to Logan. His brow furrowed as he noted the eye shape, hair color and sheen, lithe form and intelligent orbs. As if he could hear his own brain click at the realization. "She's yours?"

Bucky glanced at Steve before looking back and forth between them, his eyes widening as he figured it out too. Logan gave a nod and offered a hand to help Hayley up out of the chair and she stood to her full height, only an inch or two shorter than Logan. 

"My Only flesh and blood. Cap? This is Hayley. Sarge already knows who she is." A knowing glint shone in Logan's eyes and he smirks as Bucky tenses up as if he's in trouble. 

"Hi, nice to meet you Mr. Rogers." Hayley stumbles over a friendly hello but her eyes are on Bucky. 

"Likewise Hayley. So how do you know Buck here?" He points his free thumb over his shoulder at him. 

"I work at the library. We've sort of known each other for a few months now. I just had never asked his name before." She smiles awkwardly and the girl is such a mess of nerves and nervousness that it's ridiculously adorable to Steve. Reminding him of his old self. 

"So that's where you've been vanishing to Buck. I figured you found a dame." Steve teased lightly and it made Hayley blush a furious shade of red, Logan to growl out and Bucky to duck his head and groan. Ignoring them he continued. "So you found out his name and what? Figured out who he was?"

"Well, Dad always talked about you guys when I was little. But I never had a clear image of who you were until you spoke your name." She rubbed the back of her neck nervously, bangs falling over her left eye. She looked so damn small and innocent. 

"Then you ran before I could talk to you. You were throwing so many emotions around that I was frozen to the spot and couldn't catch you." She smiled warmly and it's instantly melting Bucky's heart at the sight. "So I found dad and told him. That's why we're here, he wanted to make sure."

"So you're not afraid of me?" Bucky's asks after a moment, raising an incredulous brow. 

"You're jokin right?" She chuckles softly. "Do you not see who this is? Big, burly and mean and metal?" Her hands enthusiastically wave at the form of Logan standing to her left. "This is my DAD, trust me. Nothing is scarier than asking the great and powerful Wolverine to have an extra five minutes after curfew." She smiles and Logan's eyes show that he's laughing on the inside. 

"Point taken I suppose. You're sure?" Bucky takes in Logan. He's heard of the wolverine. Whispers in a underground compound somewhere in the mountains he can't remember where. Of a monster with claws made of metal that cut through anything. It made sense now. 

"Yeah, pretty sure." She just keeps on smiling and Bucky feels the twitch of his lips as he starts to smile back. "How bout we start over, yeah? Hi, my name's Hayley Howlette, my dad is Wolverine and I'm a mutant. Nice to meet you." 

She smiling and it takes her a second to realize what she's said and she stills, hand still offered at a bewildered Bucky Barnes. His and Steve's faces a shared mix of confusion and curiosity. Logan closes his eyes cause there went a tightly kept secret. 

"You're a mutant?"


	5. Dad!

The Pagemaster 5

Logan's chest deflated and he locked amber, gold eyes onto his daughter. Anger flowing from him and she felt it, a sharp bitter strike into her head at the instant change of emotions. He pulled it back quickly but she knew he was pissed and she'd get a short worded talking to for sure. Most likely filled win half snarls and growls. She'd just outed her heavily kept secret without even thinking. Her dad is so gonna kill her, gut her with those claws of his.

Swiftly Logan sets his hand on the scruff of her neck and gives a soft squeeze. Tight enough to know she should follow his lead and he pulls her over to the couch to sit. Hands on hips and a dad glare her way. Both of them ignoring the stares from the super soldiers as father and daughter had a silent conversation. 

Her eyes were wide and pleading to not get mad and his were raging gold and amber and taking so much to control his anger at her. It wasn't her fault he knew that, but dammit if she wasn't so open to anyone. You'd think she would know better but apparently not. She hadn't learned those life lessons that Logan had several lifetimes over. With a heavy sigh he shook the anger from his face and ruffled her ebony hair with his large hand. 

"You and me are gonna talk about when and how to keep our mouth shut about certain things, darlin. But maybe we'll save that for later, after you explain to them what you can do." If her eyes could grow any bigger they'd fall out of her head and she worried her bottom lip. Crap.

"No gettin out of this. Now tell em." Logan started, taking a seat on a large easy chair and crossing his arms. Enjoying watching her flounder like a fish out of water for a few moments. "Come on Hayley."

Hayley takes a deep breath and rubs at her temples as she blocks the confusion from the soldiers waving toward her. They were both very loud broadcasters. "You guys get that my dad's a feral mutant right? The ones more in tune with animal instincts. Well I didn't inherit that." She starts and Bucky and Steve take a seat on the opposite couch to listen intently. 

"I'm an empath. A really strong one, least that's what the Professor says anyways." She feels more than sees the questions burning in their eyes. "I can sense strong emotions. For instance I know my dad is having a blast watching me explain this." Logan gives a grumble but otherwise is silent. 

"So you can feel emotions? How do.." Bucky starts but Hayley stops him. 

"I don't understand it anymore than anyone else does in the world. I just know that youre feeling intrigued and confused and a little bit happy." She smiled softly at Bucky and tucks her bangs from her eye again. 

"That's all?" Steve asked after a moment. And Hayley nodded at him, the feeling of pride coming from her dad told her she did good by him. Keeping a few tidbits of info from them because no one wants to know that she can use their emotions against them like a sharp double ended blade. Nope, not letting that out.

"Yup. Nothing real special bout me." She shrugs and smiles at them both, glancing to her father out of habit and getting a slight nod in return. From Logan thats like a hug, hair ruffle and laugh. Score. 

"But if she gets in an angry crowd there's too many emotions rolling around and she can't handle it." Logan continues from his easy chair. 

"That's why you work at the library." Bucky says and leans back into the couch, scratching a hand over his chin. Hayley nods and gives a timid smile. 

"Yeah it's quiet there. And I run into some really cool people." She giggle/laughs softly and Bucky gives a small lopsided smile at her in response. A deep warning growl from Logan had his smile gone and eyes looking to the mutant father. Oh jeeze, he does not look cute and cuddly right now. 

\---

Later Logan needed to take Hayley back to her apartment in the city. The soldiers had spent most of the day filling each other in on the gaps in their memories of each other. Explaining how they got out of heavy scrapes or laughing at something the other had done. It was easy to fall back into their old roles save a few differences. 

Steve was a harder man now. Hard to gain his trust and even harder for him to trust another. Bucky wasn't his old laughing self. He was calculating and quiet most of the time, keeping to the shadows where he used to be the social butterfly. Logan was gruffer than he used to be. Less soft around the else's, but he'd been alive these past seventy years while Steve was in ice and Bucky was mostly in a freezer or brainwashed. Oh and he's a dad, can't forget Logan, the man who was so careful, so dead set on never having offspring, had a 21 year old daughter. But they didn't ask about that.

Steve and Bucky both walked Logan and Hayley back down to the lobby of the tower. The bright pinks, oranges and reds of the sunset coming through the floor to ceiling windows into the lobby. Casting both Howlettes with a warm glow around them as they took their riding leather jackets and Hayley's helmet from the front desk. 

Outside their bikes were pulled around and Hayley rolled her eyes as Logan gave a prowl around his bike to check for scratch or dents. 

"Dad come on, I highly doubt the kid hurt the bike." Logan grumbled a small growl at her, ruffling her dark head of hair again. "Dad!" 

Steve chuckled at the sight, Hayley fixing her hair and even going so far as to stick her tongue out at her father. Logan handed her the black and yellow painted helmet with a raised eyebrow and laughing eyes and she put it on without much fight. Giving her the keys to her small savage. 

"You go on ahead home, darlin, need to talk a few more minutes." Logan crossed his arms, worn supple leather creaking slightly at his shoulders and biceps. 

"Okay.. Umm nice meeting you Steve. Bucky? I'll see you Monday at the library?" Her voice sounded small, with a nervous waver in it. Her hand reached up to tuck some hair out of her face inside the helmet and Bucky wanted to take a picture at how adorable she looked sitting there on the small bike. Done up in leathers and smiling the way she does. 

"Wouldn't miss it doll," he gave her a smile and her entire face brightened and she nodded, revved up the bike, waved to her father and took off down the street, vanishing around a corner. That left the super soldiers alone with the wolverine. 

"What is it Logan." Bucky started and waited for a response. Logan's head was tilted in the direction Hayley had vanished to, his enhanced hearing waiting until he couldn't make out the sound of her bike anymore. Once it was gone he opened his eyes to stare unblinking into the stormy depths of Bucky's blue eyes. 

"You've been through hell and back a few times Barnes. I get that. But you gotta reign in your emotions or you're gonna give her an aneurism with all that self hatred and guilt pouring out of you." Logan kept his gaze on the soldier, noting how he hid his surprise well. Not a flinch or twitch but his scent, that's what gives everyone away. It held a tang, like rotten oranges, it was guilt. It hung heavy on his scent. 

"She takes in the strongest emotion around her wether she wants to or not. I'd tell you to stay away from her."

"I sense a but in there."

"But I seen the way she lights up when she talks about you. Hayley's special, her gifts make her an outcast, stays out of sight, out of crowds and out of a lot of socializing in large groups. Girl doesn't get excited unless it's about a new book or a new part for her bike." Logan raised an eyebrow at the soldier and waited for it to click what he was saying without really saying it. His permission. 

The two of them spoke a silent agreement and nodded to each other before Logan took off into the night, red tail lights lost in the sea of nightlife of the city. Steve and Bucky watching for a few more minutes and listening to the city awake and moving around them. They'd had a bit of an exciting day and to be honest they were exhausted. 

Finding out yet another friend had survived the war and all this time was a shock to them. They'd known Logan was some type of mutant from the moment they saw the claws. But the man had never spoke up about it every time they asked. It was simply him, nothing else. So they didn't know he had a healing factor or could live far longer then either of them possibly.

And Hayley, cute little Hayley with her shining eyes and bubbly laugh. Blushing cheeks and ebony waves. She was the epitome of sweet thought Steve. Kind and polite if a bit anxious and nervous at the best of times. The spitting image of what Logan could have looked like in another life. 

"So tomorrow's Monday. Mind if I go to the library with you?" Steve asked as they made their way into the elevator, heading to their shared floor. He was met with a smack to the back of the head. 

"Trying to steal my dame, Rogers? Get all big and muscled and think you can take her?" Bucky teased but there was hint of a threat in his voice and Steve clearly heard it. He raised his hands up in surrender and smiled as Bucky started to glare at him. 

"Nope, wouldn't dream of it buck." He snickers and dodges whatever Bucky's thrown at him as he disappears into his side of the hall through his apartment door. 

Bucky laid on his couch and took a long deep breath to clam his nerves and mind. His emotions caused her pain... He didn't know how to process that exactly. He should stay away, he knew that in his head. It was safer for her to stay away from him. But he didn't want to, and neither did she apparently. Bucky scrubbed a hand over his face, getting up to fall face first into his bed and go to sleep. 

Tomorrow is another day


	6. Fall from High Places

The Pagemaster 6

Hayley was checking books back into the library. A mundane task that she loved because in the quiet bubble of the building she could let her mental walls down and give herself a break from blocking all the emotions around her. The simple beep as she scanned a barcode and the soft thump as she stacked books onto her small rolling cart beside her was a calming task. 

It was still pretty early. About nine in the morning, and the college crowd that came this time of the day would start to trickle in the door the next half hour . She had some time to shelf some books and was doing just that. Her favorite hat on her head today. A fuzzy grey, black and white one that her father had gotten her. It was a wolverine, or as close to one as he could find in hat form. It had short but pointed ears high atop her head and was shaped like a cowl hood. Her dark hair tucked into it and flowing down her back as she reached up to shelve a book.

The door jingled and rang the small bell and Hayley turned just enough to see two big tall men walk into the library. It only took a moment before her mind was hit with the emotions pouring off the super soldiers and it nearly pushed her back with the force of it. She hadn't been shielding. But it went away quickly and she hopped from her stool to greet them in front of the desk. 

"Morning, Bucky, Steve." She smiled and looked up and up and up toward their smiling faces. Jeeze she felt small by her dad but this was ridiculous. "You're here early."

"Morning Hayley." Steve spoke first and offered her a small Starbucks cup. "You like mint tea right?" 

"Well aren't you the sweetest thing! You remembered!" She gladly took the small cup and scented the steam from the lid almost like her father would scent the wind. Nostrils flaring and taking in a deep lungful, taking in the mint the cream and the heat.

"Actually Bucky remembered and said we should get you something while we were there." Steve said making Bucky hunch his shoulders lightly and give a playful shove at his best friend. 

"Thank you." Hayley directed it toward Bucky and got a smile in return to her bright one. "Your spots empty like always Bucky. I wish I could talk with you guys more but I've got a crapload of books that need shelving." Steve and Bucky nod politely and make their way upstairs to the corner of the balcony letting her get to work. 

Hayley took a deep drink of her mint tea and smiled like a goofball for a moment before setting it on her desk and went back to her shelving. Her soft hums in the otherwise empty library carried up to the super soldiers watching her. Steve raising an eyebrow at the young woman's animal hat and her slightly baggy sweater as she flirted about the wide rows of shelves. She was thin and lithe looking like they expected from a child of Logan's, but really she seemed clumsy and not sure of herself. Wearing larger sweaters and hoodies for some reason. Steve liked her though.

"She's adorable Buck." Steve whispered softly to his friend and got an absolutely murderous glare in response that had Steve raising his hands up in surrender and walking off to the history section. His fingers gently caressing the spines of the books as he looked them over. 

Bucky leaned over the rolling to watch Hayley just in time to see her doing something very stupid. She was on one of the sliding ladders, her one hand barely gripping the top rung as she tried to reach clear across the isle to shelf a rather heavy looking book on the other side. Her shorter arms were just too short and the book was heavy, paired with her loss of balance and there she went. 

He didn't even remember moving, only knowing that he had to catch her before she fell the ten feet to the ground below. His heavy feet hit the ground with little shock to his legs and he was moving fast, just fast enough to grab her around her small rib cage with his metal arm and spin himself slightly to take the hit as they fell together into the floor. 

Hayley let out a whoosh of air her lungs were holding and she panted softly as she got her bearings again. She was facing the ceiling so she had to be on her back but she wasn't on the ground. She was on something warm and moving and ... "Oh my god!!" 

"Are you okay?" Bucky voice rang over her exclamation and he sat up with her, the heavy footsteps of Steve running down the steps to check on them sounding behind them. Bucky's hands gently looked over her cheeks and Hayley blushed a soft pink. 

"I'm fine, thank you Bucky." Hayley tucked a lock of waving ebony hair behind her ear and she grinned widely at him as he helped her stand up. 

"Are you sure doll?" Steve bent to pick up her hat as Bucky tilted her head back and forth in case she strained her neck. 

"I'm right as rain. Promise." She smiled and leant up on tip toes to give Bucky a kiss on his cheek. A sweet short one of thanks but it had his head going utterly blank. 

"Here you go Hayley." Steve spoke as Bucky tries to thaw out his tongue. Hayley took the hat and shook her hair back to place it back on her ebony locks. 

"Thank you both. That would have been a nasty fall." She looked up at the top of the ladder and her eyes widened at the height of it. "Oh jeeze... " 

"Yeah, try not to hurt yourself okay?" Bucky smirked at her, over his momentary lapse of silence at her sweet kiss. But he really meant it, he was worried now. She had no clue of her surroundings or even how high she had been. 

"Dad always says I need to watch out." She runs a nervous hand trough her hair. "I'm fine promise, I'll leave the high shelves alone today." With a nod they left her to go back to work but stayed close this time. Steve settling in a fluffy arm chair close to wherever she was working, a history book in his hands. Bucky watching dutifully from the balcony. 

Early afternoon, her shelving done, Hayley sat at her desk munching on some sunflower seeds. Checking her phone for any messages, she always heard from Rogue, Kitty or Jubilee at least once a day. She liked the girls fine and they were great friends to her but they projected so loudly that it gave her headaches to be around all three. But of all of them she liked Rogue best. The much older woman, jeeze she had to be in her very late twenty now, was always soft spoken. Her lilting southern voice always made Hayley calm and she loved the stories Rogue would tell her about her father and the Xmen. 

Today she had one from each. A cute kitten picture from kitty, :have a grrrrrrreat day!!: so cute.

A :what are you doing this weekend? Shopping??: from Jubilee. Hayley rolled her eyes and smiled at that one. 

Rogue had sent her a funny picture. Some of the younger mutants running laps in gym class looking terrified and her father barking orders in the corner with Rogue's face in the bottom right corner making a grumpy face. A caption said : you're dads all wily today: Hayley chuckled at that one, yeah she really liked Rogue. 

And one text from her dad. : Going hunting this weekend. Need you to watch the dogs: Hayley's smile fell and she grimaced. That was code. "Hunting" meant a mission and "watching the dogs" meant she needed to stay at the school for her own safety. Sighing she texted back that she understood. That meant no shopping trip with Jubilee either. 

"What's got you poutin doll." Bucky voice was soft but it still startled her a bit as she looked up to find him leaning on his elbows on the desk ledge. Dark hair framing his face that was slightly marred with concern.

"Just my dad. Institute stuff." She vaguely explained and hoped he got the message that she wasn't allowed to discuss this stuff in an unsafe location. And even though it was highly unlikely someone had bugged the library she was taught to be cautious. When she remembered to be. 

Bucky nodded after a moment and tapped his watch. "Nearly done with your shift right?" Hayley smiled and nodded, sitting up straight and pooping her back softly. 

"Yeah another.." Glancing at her clock on her phone. "Twenty minutes and I'm free."

"Was wondering if you'd like to have dinner with me and Steve?" He asked softly and if she didn't know any better she'd say he was blushing just the tiniest bit. 

"I'd love to." Her smile lit up the library and melted Bucky's heart as she started to gather her thing on her desk. Shoving a few heavy books into her satchel. "I gotta call my dad first though, he'll worry." He nodded and went to collect Steve, who had a pile of books in front of him.


	7. Chapter 7

The Pagemaster 7

Hayley loves her father. There's really no doubt in that love whatsoever. She simply loves her father more than anything. And isn't that strange? For one of the most feared mutants. One of the very few oldest mutants. One of the most powerful and deadly mutants, has a daughter that just does not care what he does for a living or what he's done for the endless years he's been alive since before her birth. 

Hayley tried every day to show him that love. Because the wolverine isn't much on affection or words. He's a man of action and loyalty and trust. So she pranks him.

Constantly. 

Because who doesn't laugh their ass off when the great and scary wolverine opens his liquor cabinet and every single one of his bottles is full of apple juice? Or when he opens the fridge and every single item inside has a pair of googly eyes stuck to the side of it? Or when she puts bright yellow strip of tape over all the biceps of his leather jackets. Maybe all his boots are tied together by the strings? 

And every time she does something he gets angry and snarly. Only to hear her giggling somewhere out of sight because she isn't scared. She can feel his emotions, he's not angry. He's happy. 

Ain't that a strange thing? 

"Hayley!!" His boots are knotted together, all of them. 

"Yes daddy?" And he growls because she only says daddy when she pranks him or wants something. And it's the former this time. 

He grumbles as he untied the laces. Cursing every second that he taught her a multitude of ties and knots. And she used them all. Hears her snickering in the living room and can't help but sigh and chuckle out a soft sound. He loves it when she laughs. When she smiles. 

He regrets he's been gone so much the past few years. He forgets how fast time flies by. And wonders sadly once again if she'll ever inherit enough of his healing gifts to stay alive a bit longer. Just so he can be with her a little longer. Spend a little more time with her. Love her a little more.


	8. Chapter 8

The Pagemaster 8

"Want you to stay at the school this week." Hayley looks up from her laptop. Confusion on her young face. 

"Didn't you guys just have an outing?" She's careful how to phrase things. Sometimes she listens to what her father taught her and sometimes she forgets. It's hit and miss. 

"Found a track, need to follow it." He sits in the leather easy chair under the window of her small apartment. It's only purpose for his use. 

"Oh..." Her face falls and he can smell the disappointment coming from her. 

"Made plans?"

"Well... James and Steve... They asked me to come to the tower Saturday. Meet Natasha." 

"Hm." He grufs and swirls the beer bottle in his hand gently. "Reschedule, want you safe." And he's not sure he wants the black widow anywhere near his child. 

She sighs and he knows he's hard on her but he wants her safe. And the best place is at the school with a dozen adult mutants ready to defend them all. 

"Okay.."

"Rogue's staying behind." Hayley's face lights up a bit and she smiles. She loves Rogue. He's glad of it. He trusts Marie.

\---

Hayley's staring at her phone with a long sad face. Her hands holding the device as she sprawls over the couch in one of the tv rooms of the mansion. Rogue is sitting at the end of the couch, the younger girls feet in her lap. 

"Okay little girl. Who is it?" The nearly thirty year old asked the mini wolverine. 

"Um.. No one?" Hayley was a horrible liar and everyone knew it. Rogue only smirked and quick as a flash had the phone from Hayley's hands and was across the room. Using moves Logan and Nightcrawler had taught her to climb onto the bookshelf and out of reach.

"Ooooo who's James? Sounds sexy! And a Steve too?!" Rogue shucked as Hayley struggled to jump high enough to reach her. 

"Marie! Give it back! 

"Nope, tell me."

Hayley sighs and flops onto the chair by the bookshelf. Knowing how Marie was and wouldn't give in until she got what she wanted. A few minutes later the entire story out of the bag and the X-woman was shocked. 

"They're alive? Jesus Christ." Rogue climbed down from the shelf to sit next to her. "Logan told me stories a few times but, Jesus." She leans her shoulder against Hayley's. 

"So is he hot? And if so he got a brother?" Hayley groaned and covered her face in her hands.


	9. Chapter 9

The Pagemaster 9

"Why are you so nervous little wolvie?" Rogue asked as she pulled a black riding helmet from her head. Hayley doing the same as they parked at the roundabout entrance to stark tower. 

"It's nothing." Hayley knew Rogue knew she was nervous. Nervous as hell. 

Because of the way the mutant world was, and Magneto's ever present threat to expose all of them no matter their stance, Logan was hell bent on keeping Hayley safe. In turn he worried for Rogue. So somehow, they're not sure how, Hayley moved in with rogue on the outskirts of the city. The older woman staying with Hayley at the library during her shifts and riding back and forth wherever the girl needed to go. Logan words were, don't let her out of your damn sight Stripes.

So here they were at stark tower, avengers tower? Going to meet Bucky for lunch in the private restaurant inside with Rogue in tow. 

"Please." Rogue rolls her eyes, slipping her sunglasses up her nose to her head. Pushing back the thick white streaks of her hair back. 

"We both know you just wanna keep this hunk to yourself." Rogue smirked as Hayley blushed a red hue. Walking into the lobby and handing their helmets to the attendant who took their keys. 

As they headed to the middle elevator, the one with the large A painted onto it, a voice popped up and made the older woman flinch in surprise.

"Good day Miss Howlette."

"Hi Jarvis." Hayley smiled and spoke to literally no one and Rogue raised an eyebrow. 

"I must ask your companion's name before I am allowed to let you both into the Avengers quarters." 

"Oh sorry Jarvis." Hayley turned toward Rogue. "I forgot about that, the towers AI won't let us up without a background check."

Rogue didn't like it. But, Logan let his daughter come here whenever she liked. So the if the Wolverine deemed it safe. It was. She just didn't like her identity even slightly unveiled.

"Anna Marie." Rogue spoke to the disembodied voice and a blue light started to scan over her. 

"Thank you Miss Anna."

"Please, call me Rogue."

"As you wish Miss Rogue." 

Hayley smiled at Rogue. Jarvis was programmed to be polite and polite he, it, was. The elevator started into motion and within movements the doors opened to the sitting areas of the restaurant/kitchen floor. 

Their boots thudded gently on the very shiny black slate flooring, Rogue's lighter then Hayley's, and made their way over to Bucky. He stood once he saw them coming and smiled brightly. 

After a very friendly hug that Rogue raised her eyes at, she met the icy cool gaze of James Barnes. Hayley nervously biting her lip as the two stood their ground and stared the other down. Really it was u called for. Neither would actually hurt the other. 

But it was instinctual on both their parts. Rogue was battle worn and trained, as was Bucky. Both of them on the cusp of death more then a few times. Needed to make sure they didn't see ill intentions or mistreatment to the girl between them. 

"You must be Rogue, that's a strange name." Bucky politely extended his hand for her to shake. 

Rogue took his hand in her own, very careful to only extend as much strength as expected of her. She and many of the other mutants didn't wish for her actual power level to be known. So she shakes his hand, grips firmly and gives a polite smile. 

"It's a name." She only shrugs one shoulder. And Bucky understands, he's slowly getting that they're not Shield. They're their own sort of faction with their own rules to keep them safe. And he gets it. 

"It's nice to meet you. Hayley says you know Logan too?" They're slowly making their way into the restaurant. 

"We're very good friends." She smiles a bit and sits down when Bucky pulls her chair out for her, doing the same for Hayley next. She grins at Hayley who blushes. 

"See I can't really believe that. He's so.."

"Angry? Volatile? Cranky? Dangerous?" Rogue supplies and only continues to smile. 

"Well, yes." James sat down and leaned his elbows on the table casually in the five star restaurant, boyish smile faintly on his face. 

"Logan picks and choses his friends very carefully." Rogue took her sunglasses from her head and gently folded them to set on the table before her. Eyes carefully watching James. 

"I am proud to be one of those few friends." She left it at that. Truly there wasn't more to say. 

Logan Howlette, to those who knew who he really was, were either terrified of him or respected him. If you were considered a friend, you best do everything in your power to not let him down. If you weren't, well it's smart to just stay away or risk claws. 

Rogue only smiled a long smile at Bucky, the kind that said she's been through hell and back with Logan and had the scars to prove it. Many years back to back in battle and fights. A bond neither of them wanted to break or fracture. 

"We fought in the war together." James supplied, face gone off to a faraway look for a moment as hazy memories came back and faded in a blink. 

"So I've been told old man." Rogue playfully winked and Hayley rolled her eyes are her friend. 

"He's not old Rogue, he was frozen." 

"And so was Logan for 10 years when he fell in that lake in Alaska." Rogue snorted a bit unladylike but it's who she was. "Outside may not have changed but he still aged."

James smiled and turned to Hayley's bright eyes. "Steve's gonna love her."

"Who?"


	10. Chapter 10

The Pagemaster 10

"Steve, Rogers." Hayley answered and sipped at her glass of water. Watching with a grin as Rogue scrunched her face in thought for about two seconds. Then her eyes widened.

"Star spangled man with a plan Steve Rogers?" Rogue asked with raised eyebrows. "That's the Steve in your phone? I just thought this one was the only one alive." She jutted her thumb towards Bucky. 

Bucky chuckled and shook his head. "Steve was in the ice since the war. You can't keep that punk down."

"So the guy on tv... Is the real deal?" Rogue asked, leaning forward a bit in excitement. 

"Yeah that's him." Bucky smirked. "Maybe you can ask him for an autograph."

"Yeah, right on my left tit." Rogue sighed dreamily and Hayley gasped. Blushing a deep red and covering her cheeks embarrassed. "Oh little Wolvie, so much to learn."

"Rogue!" Hayley was warm with her blushing and wanted to hide. But the laughter and mirth coming from Rogue and Bucky both kept her seated instead of hiding. 

"Oh honey, have you seen his ass in that suit? Like two perfect scoops of ice cream." Rogue sighed and fanned at her face as she hit her lip. Bucky chuckling and shaking his head as someone came up to them. 

"Are you talking about my backside? Is that really the main topic these days?" Steve's deep tumble came from Bucky's left and rogue looked up and up into the blue eyes face of Captain America. 

"Why yes Mr. Rogers, we are talking about your rump. It's very delicious." Rogue supplied back coyly. Smirking at the pink tinge on his cheeks from her comment. 

"And who might you be then? Miss?" He extends his hand, bows a tiny bit and takes Rogue's in his hand to kiss her knuckles gently. 

"Rogue." She replies simply and gets the same reaction she gets from most people. A scrunched face of confusion and a half smile. 

"Pleasure to meet you." He smiles gently. 

"No sugar, the pleasure will be mine." She winks and bites her lip again at the way Steve blushes darker but his eyes fill with something a bit hungry. 

"Steve, won't you join us for lunch?" Hayley asks, blushing herself from the display. As old as she was everyone at the table knew she was very ... Sheltered, because of her extremely protective father. 

"I'd love to." He took a seat across from Bucky and beside Rogue.


	11. Chapter 11

The pagemaster 11

"Hayley how do you do this every day?" Rogue asks softly from her chair a few feet away from Hayley's rolling cart of books. The library practically empty with the pouring rain outside keeping students and adults away. 

"I like it, it's calm." Hayley responded and just smiled at her older fiend. She's tried before to let Jubilee and Kitty understand her love of books. But the boisterous girls were too loud and hyper to sit for hours and sink into pages. It was fine. 

"Here, try this one." Hayley sets a thin novel in front of Rogue with a dreadful romance picture of a woman being held half naked by a man. "You like love stories and period pieces."

Rogue flips to the back cover and reads the short excerpt from the story. Her eyes raising at Hayley. "This is fairly intimate and vulgar Hayley."

"And?" Hayley blushes a bit but smiles and keeps shelving books in this section of fiction. She's not as innocent as they all think, at least book wise. She's read many novels and stories and romances that were very explicit. She understands the logistics, just not the physicality. 

Rogue only smirks knowingly and leans back in the chair, opening the book and reading the words. Quickly lost in the pages she doesn't follow Hayley as the girl continues shelving books throughout the empty space. Softly humming to herself as she carefully stands on the ladder and places times back in their places. 

Bucky leans over the railing, breaking from his laptop for a minute to collect his thoughts. His eyes land on Hayley down below him. Another fuzzy animal hat on her head, this time a white tiger one with long ends that turn into paws at her sides. A smile on his lips as he watches her work diligently and happily surrounded by her favorite things. Books. 

He's here everyday now. No longer fearful or worried he's going to snap because of a loud burst of voices or people being near. This library is small and mostly full of college students more focused on their work than social lives and children who enjoy the twice weekly story time. It's quiet and homey. Safe. 

"She's like Belle." Rogue's soft voice comes from his right and Bucky sneaks a glance over to her. She's mirrored his position against the railing, both of them watching Hayley work. 

"Who?" Bucky asks gently and turns to face toward the mostly brunette, leaning his hip on the wood railing. 

"From beauty and the beast." At his blank look she chuckles softly. "In the story a girl feels outcast in her village because she reads and writes, dreams of something more then what's expected of her. A father out of his time and treated like a mad man."

She moves to cross her arms and lean more on the railing. "She's always loved reading, could do it by three years old." There's pride in her voice.

"You've been around her a lot."

Rogue smiles softly and nods. "Logan found out about her when she was maybe three years old." She chuckles softly. "By then I was one of the junior team members."

"Logan didn't trust anyone near her but me and Auroro, I got a lot of babysitting money for watching her near constantly." She stood back up straight and picked up the novel she had been reading, tapping the spine of it gently to the banister.

"Logan's a lot of things. But he's a great father." Rogue smiled fondly at the dark haired girl down below them. 

Bucky simply agrees with a gentle nod. He couldn't think of a reason Logan wouldn't be. The man's probably the fiercest protecter on earth. Hayley would be well taken care of for a long time. 

Bucky's eyes flash to Rogue. The beauty she is, the youth in her skin. Shocking white stripes of hair framing her face, tucked behind her ears. But her eyes, those emerald green orbs told a much different story. Her age peeking out from the deep green depths. 

His brow furrowed in thought. Hayley was near twenty three years old. And Rogue had mentioned she had been babysitting Hayley since the girl was a baby. He wondered... If she was already working with the X-Men then... 

"You think any harder you might set that shelf on fire." He chuckles softly at Rogue's voice and shifts his stance. Leaning back into the railing. 

"Ask, Barnes." Her gaze is toward the stained glass windows across the library. The rain pelting down, making streaks of darker colors stream down the glass. 

"How old are you Rogue?" 

Her lips curl gently at the corners, a sad sort of smile on her face as she continues to gaze at the colored glass. Her shoulders slump fractionally. 

"I'm thirty eight, Barnes." She keeps looking away from him. 

"How..." She taps at her lips and he nods, it's a conversation for another time. One he wouldn't soon forget to mention.

Rogue stands and makes her way downstairs. "Hayley, it's raining too hard for you to take the bike home. I'll take it and you get a ride from mister metal." She hears Bucky snort from the balcony and she takes the girl's keys. 

"Rogue, if it's too much rain for me.."

"Nope, no arguing. I get in a wreck I won't get a scratch, you get in a wreck and you're in the hospital." She smiles, sending a mock salute up towards Bucky in the balcony. "I'll order pizza!" And she's out the door.


	12. Chapter 12

The Pagemaster 12

Closing time came and Hayley was pulling on her raincoat over her small backpack she always seemed to have. Bucky at her side with his laptop bag slung over his shoulder. The rain hadn’t lessened and was torrential outside, wind whipping the thick droplets every which way. 

“I’m parked a half block away.” His hand on her lower back as she finished locking the heavy doors as they stood under the awning. It didn’t help shield them much from the rain. 

His hand pulled his keys from his jacket pocket and they both heard the beep of a car horn as it unlocked just twenty feet away. “Ready?” Hayley laughed and took off into the pouring rain like a wild child, puddles splashing about her booted feet as she ran to Bucky’s parked car. 

And he laughs, taking off after her, water sloshing against his ankles as he rounds the car and leaps into the front door. Chuckling as they both puff out steamy air into the close space of the sleek machine. They were pretty much soaked but it was fine as Bucky started the car and the heat pumped through the vents to keep them warm as he pulled from the curb and headed toward the tower where Rogue had gone with Hayley’s bike. It was closer then the woman’s apartment. 

During the short drive Bucky’s hand had leisurely sat on the gear shift, he was driving slow so he didn’t need to shift too much, and Hayley’s hand slipped on top of his. He smiled, peeled from the corner of his eyes as she blushed a deep pink. His fingers opened up a bit to let hers slip between his knuckles and he held on to them gently. Seeing her blush was amazingly cute, specially with that silly damp white tiger hat on her frizzy hair. 

Hayley’s phone started chiming and she let his hand go as she rummaged in her pockets for it. “It’s my dad.” Her face showed concern, he didn’t usually call her, just texted. “Hey dad..” Logan’s voice cut off anything else she might have said. 

“Where are you?” Bucky could heat his voice and he glanced at Hayley. 

“I’m with James, we’re going to the tower for dinner...” 

“Let me talk to him.” She handed the phone to Bucky and he held it to his ear. “There’s been an attack at the school.” Bucky’s left hand tightened on the wheel and he had to restrain himself from crushing it in his grip. 

“I want you to keep Hayley and Rogue at the tower for now...” 

“Won’t you need her for the team?” He knew of Rogue’s space on the X-men team, however not the extent of her powers. She was integral to many of their ops from what she had spoken about it before. 

A few moments silence and Bucky could hear how Logan sighed through his nose and a soft growl erupted. “They were lookin for someone..” oh... OH. 

“So...?” He glanced to Hayley who was watching him with a scrunched up face of confusion and ultimately, innocence. 

“Both of them, we’re not sure yet.” Logan went silent and Bucky knew what he was silently asking. Something had happened, someone was looking for either Rogue,that wasn’t new, or Hayley, since her rooms there had been upturned and no one else’s, that was.

“Understood, they’re welcome as long as they want.” He glanced at Hayley and tried to give her a small smile to ease her nerves. He handed the phone back to Hayley. 

“I want you to stay with Marie at the tower kid, something going down at the school.” He was too far away for her to tell if he was lying to her to protect her, but her friends were there.

“Is everyone...”

“Everyone’s fine kid, just want you safe.” His voice turned softer and Hayley leant back in her seat, not realizing till then they were in the underground garage of the tower. 

“Okay dad, love you.” Bucky heard a gruff reply and Hayley hung up the call. Her face solemn and all trace of fun she’d had on her features was gone. 

“Hey, Stripes got pizza and I bet we could commandeer one of the media rooms for a movie night, how’s that sound?” She quirked up her lips but t wasn’t a full smile. Maybe rogue could help with that. 

Safe under the building from the rain they dropped a bit in the elevator while the AI system scanned them for entry into the avenger floors. He laughed softly at their disheveled appearance in the gleaming walls of the elevator. 

“Maybe we should change first.” Hayley nodded, her torso was mostly dry thanks to her rain coat but her pants legs were soaked and quickly getting chilled. “Natasha might have something you could wear.” 

“Someone call my name.” The doors had opened to the living floor where Bucky’s apartment was, across the hall from Natasha’s. She was standing half turned the other way and smiled at them. 

Hayley half hid behind Bucky, she’s yet to actually meet in person the black widow. Her fathers tightly leashed emotions of fear and anxiety when speaking about the woman spoke volumes to Hayley. Her father didn’t exactly trust Natasha Romanov. 

“Oh is this the one Steve’s been talking nonstop about?” Natasha could look harmless, but there was always a bit of danger in her features that would never go away. 

Hayley could FEEL Natasha, like a raging lioness her mind was a wild blurring movement of emotions. Ranging from guilt to sadness to giddy joy in fleeting moments, it was already giving Hayley a horrible headache. 

“Hey Nat, do me a favor and clear your thoughts.” Bucky whispers, reaching behind him to pull Hayley to his side, leaning down to make skin on skin contact with her forehead to his. Pushing calming thoughts outwards and hoping they push the others away. 

Natasha looks confused, watching as Hayley seemed to be in some sort of pain, so she does what Bucky asks and clears her mind. Within moments Hayley lets out a soft sigh and nods that she’s alright, bat didn’t know what was going on, but she’d get it out of someone. 

“We’ll catch up later.” She smoothly walked to the opposite elevator and vanished behind the doors to a different floor. Hayley felt an immense relief as Natasha leaving. 

“Is she really loud?” Busy led her to the media room on their floor, relaxing he still needed to get her dry. 

“She was screaming...” it was one of the loudest ones she’s heard. Had shocked her and she’d had to put up barriers over walls. 

Bucky nodded, leading her into the room. “Wonder where... never mind.” He was going to wonder where rogue was, but seeing as how she was siting on Steve’s lap and kissing him rather hungrily, he didn’t need to wonder very long.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and kudos if I deserve them!


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